CaseMap and TimeMap are programs by Casesoft, Inc. which is now owned by Lexis/Nexis.

CaseMap describes itself as a "fact and issue management software." I have been using CaseMap for a number of years and would not feel that I was properly prepared for trial if I did not have CaseMap. CaseMap allows you to enter information about people, places, things, documents etc. and then pull the information out in any way that you want. That's not a very good explanation so I'm going to walk through how I use CaseMap when I'm preparing my cases.

The first thing you do in CaseMap is enter what they refer to as the cast of characters. I refer to it as my witness list. When you first start, you can put as little information in as the name or as much information as you have on each person. For instance, the attorney can enter the names of each of the people involved in the case whether they're the parties, witnesses, experts, or whatever. The legal assistant or secretary could come in at a different time and fill the information out about each person by adding their address, telephone number, e-mail address, whether they're scheduled for deposition, whether they're going to be called at trial, etc. Once you have created the cast of characters, you can move on to entering some of the more important facts of the case. If you're working on an auto accident case, the first fact that you would enter may be the accident itself. You put in the date of the accident and as little or as much information as you want. You might decide that you just want to put this down as "the accident." You might want to put it down as "Paul Payne was hit by Don Davis who ran the red light." If you've already entered Paul Payne and Don Davis into your cast of characters, as you start to type their name, CaseMap will automatically fill in their complete name.

So far, there's nothing too special. However, were CaseMap really shines is when you're reviewing documents. When you install CaseMap, it adds several buttons to your Adobe Acrobat program. The two that you'll use most often are "send PDF to CaseMap" and "send fact to CaseMap." As you receive documents in your case like the accident report or the medical records or witnesses statements, they should be in PDF form or you should convert them to PDF form by scanning them. Once the documents are in PDF form, you can have CaseMap Bates stamp each page. CaseMap is smart enough to know which PDF files have been Bates stamped and which have not so that as you get additional documents in and you add them to the documents folder, you can have CaseMap Bates stamp the new ones without changing the Bates stamps on the ones that have already been processed. You can do that in bulk without having to open each individual file in Adobe Acrobat. Once the PDF file is Bates stamped, you can open it in Adobe Acrobat and click on the "send PDF to CaseMap" button. A dialog box will open up and ask if you want to send that to the documents list or the pleadings list or the proceedings list, etc. Since you're working on a document, the default document lists should be selected. When you click on OK, the document is added to your CaseMap file with the Bates numbers and the document name. If you look at your document list in CaseMap you'll see that there's a little paperclip icon next to that document. When you click on that paperclip CaseMap will open Adobe Acrobat and open that particular document. I also print off the document list showing the Bates numbers and names of the documents when I'm responding to a request for production. I send that list to the other side so that everybody knows what documents were produced and what the Bates numbers are.

Let's say that you have an 800 page medical record from the hospital that you have processed and placed in CaseMap. You start reviewing the record in Adobe Acrobat and noticed that on page 103 there is a note by nurse Smith that Paul Payne was moaning and that Smith called Dr. Jones and got permission to increase the dosage of Vicodin. If you don't have Nurse Smith and Dr. Jones listed in your witness list, you would add them now. You can highlight that passage in Adobe Acrobat and then click on the "send fact to CaseMap" button which will bring up a dialog box giving you the option to add the date and time of the event. When you click okay, the fact is placed in your CaseMap facts list. If you look at the facts list you'll notice that there's a little icon of a paperclip on the fact that we just entered. If you click on that paperclip CaseMap will take you to page 103 of the medical records where you have highlighted the entry by nurse Smith. CaseMap also has additional lists like an "issues" list. In the auto wreck case you would have the various issues as negligence, damages etc. and you can have the damages issue broken down further by property damage, pain and suffering and lost wages etc. In the entry above by nurse Smith, you would click the little box under the issue of pain and suffering.

Once you have the information in CaseMap the real benefit of the program is getting that information back out. I will go through how you might get the information that we just entered back out of CaseMap. If your opponent files a no evidence motion for summary judgment alleging that there is no evidence of pain and suffering, you can have CaseMap list every fact where you have checked the checkbox under the issue of pain and suffering. You'll then get a list of facts that just has entries that discuss pain and suffering including the entry on page 103 of the hospital records. If you're getting ready to take the deposition of nurse Smith or Dr. Jones you can have a list of the facts prepared were nurse Smith or Dr. Jones is mentioned. The list will not only have what each one said or did but it will have the reference to the place in the document for you to refer to. So if nurse Smith says Paul Payne never complained of pain, you can show her page 103 of the hospital records and question her about that. If you want to know everywhere in the records were Vicodin was given to Paul Payne, you can have CaseMap give you just those entries were Vicodin is mentioned.

TimeMap is another Casesoft product that creates visual timelines. If you need to visually show a chain of events, TimeMap makes it easy to enter the information and display the timeline. In addition to entering the information yourself, you can also export information from CaseMap into TimeMap which will set up a visual timeline based on that that. Additionally, you can choose the colors of the different events and photos link them to exhibits and generally easily create visually appealing timelines.

As I said, I've been using Casemap for a number of years. The way I prepare my cases and need instant access to the facts in the case or the contact information of all the people involved in the case, I could not practice economically without Casemap. You can download a free copy to try Casemap at Casesoft's website, www.casesoft.com. Download the program, review some of their webinars on how to use it and give it a try. If you are involved in litigation, you'll want this program.

By Robert Ray a Texas inheritance attorney. The foregoing information is general in nature and does not apply to every fact situation. If you are concerned about Texas inheritance laws, inheritance rights, probate limits, have a family inheritance dispute, a property dispute or want to know the reasons for contesting a will or protecting a will from a contest and need an inheritance lawyer, we can help. Please click on the "Contact Us" tab above and use the contact form to contact us today. We are Texas inheritance lawyers and would love to learn about your case. There is no fee for the initial consultation.

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